Don Cheadle won a Golden Globe for best comedy actor last night, but he was not the only African-American star to garner attention. Others made the most of the spotlight as well, if only for their stellar outfits.

The 2013 Golden Globe Awards red carpet was the first major event of the awards season at which stars opted to go full Hollywood glam, with black celebrities being some of these leading ladies and men. Some of the evening’s hottest looks included transparent skirts and bodices with dazzling embroidery layered over light-colored or “nude” dress elements, bare shoulders, dramatic gown sweeps, and lots of leg.

The transparent trend was best worn by Thandie Newton, whose Giles dress was short, flirty and fun. Django Unchained star Kerry Washington also wore an extremely modern dress with a sheer overlay covering a simple cream miniskirt. Daring and eye-catching, Washington’s was a respectable fashion risk that distinguished her from the pack of women in voluminous ensembles.

Most women opted for longer gowns made of sumptuous materials, including television personality Shaun Robinson. Yet, many of these ladies competed easily with those who chose to go short for the occasion. Red carpet beauties such as Halle Berry flashed lots of gam with thigh-high slits in frocks that touched the ground. With her Atelier Versace Fall 2012 gown, Berry brought “back the ‘Angelina’ leg just in time for awards season,” according to leading fashion site Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

Men including 50 Cent, Denzel Washington and Al Roker wore sharp suits, perhaps saving their tuxedos for Oscar Night, a move that was also in keeping with gentlemen’s fashions at the event.

NeNe Leakes was a major surprise in a white shirt and black ball gown skirt that was neither revealing nor distinctive. While a classic look for a woman over 50, this ensemble lacked the drama we tend to expect from the Real Housewives of Atlanta star.

She made up for her benign outfit by adding a bit of punch with her words.

“I’ll probably be nominated next year,” Leakes, who also stars in NBC’s The New Normal, told the Los Angeles Times on the red carpet.

We will have to wait another 12 months to see whether that premonition comes to pass, but in the meantime we can certainly assess who was the best dressed on the 2013 Golden Globe Awards red carpet. Who do you think had the best look?